Blood Banking.

Natalie Buchanan

What is a blood transfusion?

Most people have heard of a blood transfusion some may not know what a blood transfusion is but they tend to be very beneficial for patients. Blood tranfusions are given to patients through an intravenous line in one of your blood vessels.

Why do people receive blood tranfusions?

Common causes of needing a blood transfusion can vary from having an illness that causes anemia, a severe infection or liver disease that stops your body from properly making blood in your body or needing blood after a surgery.

What is Blood Banking?

Blood Banking refers to the process of collecting, seperating and storing blood. The first Blood Bank was established in 1936. Today we use blood banksto collect the blood and seperate them into different compenents so they can be used properly for the need of the patient.

Donation Process.

When someone wants to donate blood they're saving someones life, donationg blood is strongly suggested donationg one pint of blood can save up to three lives. Before someone donates blood there is a protocol that needs to be followed by the blood bank. They start by educating the person whom is donating.

After the person is educated they go through a process called the Prescreening. During this process the collect the person basic information, they go through a survey asking personal questions and all people who take the survey are asked to be honest this is a very important step of the donation process.

The donation is the final step in the process. The donation technician obtains a blood bag and transmits the pertinent donor information (taking from the prescreening) and handling record into the blood banks system. Once the technician is finished they begin the actual donation process, the donation itself usually takes eight to ten minutes.

After Prescreening the donor moves onto the Bioscreening during this screening the blood bank measures the donors hemoglobin level, this qualifies the donor for donation, the donors hemoglobin level cannot be anything less then 12.5.

What happens to your blood after donation?

A pint of blood is drawn from the voulnteer donor

the blood is collected in a sterile bag and labelled

units are transported to the neartes SANBS testing and processing lab

in the processing laboratory, blood is spun down in a centrifuge and then seperated in to its different components (plasma which contains speical proteins and clotting factor, Red Blood Cells which contain hemoglobin a protein that carries oxygen, and Platelets which are crucial in helping blood clot)

Blood is tested to ensure that it is safe for transfusion

Local hospitals place orders with SNABS for blood products based on their needs

Blood products are stored prior to transfusion. The shelf of life of blood is limitied

Platelets expire in five days

Red Blood Cells expire in fourty-two days

Plasma has a two year shelf life from the day of collection.

How much blood does it take to save a life?

Why is it so important to donate?

Donating one pint of blood can save three lives, donating can be benefical to people all over the world and to all kinds of different people, young, old, male, female, infant or toddler everyone at some point in their life could be in need of a blood transfusion and that can only be possible if we have poeple willing to donate.As you have seen a big source of blood is needed for surgeries and injuries, without donation we wont have the excessive amount of blood we have now so be a hero today and start donating to your local blood bank all it takes is a simple phone call and an hour of your day to save three lives